Life is nothing but chaos and uncertainty. This is why centuries ago, as emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius reminded himself,
Doctors keep their scalpels and other instruments handy, for emergencies. Keep your philosophy ready too--ready to understand heaven and earth.
A philosophy. A belief. A way of living. A mantra. It doesn't matter what you call it, all that matters is that you have one, not for glitz and glamour, not for fame and recognition, but for the simple purpose of making progress in the right ways for the right reasons.
As the most powerful man in the world, every decision Marcus made had an impact, so he filtered everything through a simple mantra--if it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.
Was he perfect? No. But it helped him make the right decisions more often than not.
Pete Carrol, in his book Win Forever, explains the importance of a philosophy,
Essentially a clear-well defined philosophy gives you the guidelines and boundaries that keep you on track–the difference between a bullet and a guided missile is that once a bullet is fired, it’s out of anyone’s control, but a guided missile is specifically designed to make course corrections. That is what philosophy does for you–it helps you make the course corrections that you need.
The greats have philosophies.
For Eleanor Roosevelt: do the thing you think you cannot do
For Howard Schultz: seek to renew yourself when you're hitting home runs
For Theodore Roosevelt Sr: take care of your morals first, your health next, and finally your studies.
It simplifies decision-making and provides direction. It's not bulletproof, but a philosophy keeps you on track more often than not, and when you do the right thing the majority of the time, you keep yourself headed in the right direction.
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